


Red Under the Bed

by Sephypsycologist



Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Gen, Soft Vore, Vore, all fluffy stuff of course, safe vore
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-14
Updated: 2018-12-13
Packaged: 2019-09-17 22:45:13
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,003
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16983210
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sephypsycologist/pseuds/Sephypsycologist
Summary: There's a voice under your bed at night, sometimes. And he says the sweetest things...





	1. A world apart

You needed the light.

After your childhood of being locked in the dark closet alone for hours, the abuse and the yelling for your ‘cowardice’ and the many stabs in the back, that night light was your one comfort in your life.

You would always pay the electricity bills first. Who cared about heat, phones, or water? You could live without anything except your light.

Because the light was all that kept the voice at bay.

“heya, dollface. it’s me again,” said the deep, scratchy voice that now haunted you nightly.

“Please go away,” you whimper, shaking.

“aww, but why would i do that? i like talkin’ to ya.” He did sound worried, “you know i don’t wanna hurt’cha, right? i’ve had months to try somethin’ and i haven’t touched ya.”

“Red, please…” comes the response, unbidden.

“i know, i know. ya can’t trust me yet. i get it,” he sounded tired, but not unhappy. “but the offer still stands, babe. i know ya ain’t havin’ a good time out there with all tha shit they put’cha through. even i can feel how cold it is in your room. but all ya gotta do is come on under here and i’ll keep ya warm. none’a that rent shit, no worryin’ about food or money or nothin’. i’ll even promise it to ya, an’ i hate makin’ promises.”

You gather the courage to lean over the side of your bed, only for about the third time, and look into his eyes. Or you assume those two red lights down in the blackness under your bed are his eyes. “As…as nice as that sounds, you know I can’t. Red, there’s no guarantee you aren’t just messing with me or a hallucination or something.”

He sighs, and the lights dim a bit, “okay. but i’m not done. i’m on your side, y/n, and i’m not going to abandon you to that messed up world ya live in. it’s nice ta see your pretty face, though.” You could hear the soft smile in his voice, and see it in the slight dip in the top of the glow.

“Well…thanks, I guess.” You don’t know why you feel pulled toward the lights in that all-encompassing blackness.

“alright. i’ll let ya alone for tonight. but let me tell ya something,” his voice is quiet and has a tone of yearning to it, “i can read your soul like a book. And even though ya tell me no with your words, that honest soul’a yours is screaming yes. just like mine is pullin’ me ta take ya, yours is pullin’ you ta me. but i’ll respect your choices, doll. cause that’s what you need, is respect. so i’ll go. g’night, y/n”

Shocked, you can only murmur, “Goodnight, Red,” before the lights vanish and you can see across the underside of your bed again.

—

It was the worst day you’ve ever had. You forgot to clock in, and when you told your boss he screamed at you for making him do more paperwork. Then the customers came. One woman held you on the phone for half an hour talking about her life story while you were desperately trying to check out the in person customers with as much grace and customer service as possible, another came in and screamed at you when you couldn’t allow her to return her toaster that was not only burnt to a crisp but long past warranty or return policy. You’d barely finished with her when some male customer began creeping on you, and he didn’t leave until closing time, watching you with obvious ill intent. You even had to clean the bathrooms for the fourth time in a row this month; it was a weekly chore, but somehow despite three other people working there, you were always the one who had to clean off the mis-aimed urine and unwrapped sanitary napkins.

By the time you came home, long past sunset, you were utterly exhausted in mind and body. Your back ached from the mopping and sweeping and your feet and ankles burned from standing all day. And your land lord was waiting at your door.

“Miss l/n?” He asked, despite knowing exactly who you were.

“Y-yes, Mr. Hanson?” You wavered, now terrified.

“Hate to drop a bomb and run, but I’ve got someone coming to spray for bugs in the morning so I need to cover things,” He looked at his watch and sniffed, as if it was beyond him to deal with you. “Anyway, I’m afraid you’ve run out of chances. I’m evicting you tomorrow, so pack up. chow!”

He just left, scampering off as if he hadn’t told you you were about to be homeless. Numbly, you go inside, locking the door behind you. You don’t have much to pack, so you mechanically go about it. Your meager clothes and what few precious items you’ve saved from the precious, clean parts of your childhood are put into the backpack you used in high school (and all through school in general). And your sheets, too. You sit on your salvaged mattress and bed frame, legs dangling off the sides….and begin to cry.

The atmosphere changes, becoming familiar. “doll? you okay? what’s wrong?” Red’s voice was a relief at this moment, and you spill the story of your awful day to him.

“A-and I have nowhere to go!” you end, hiccuping from the tears.

“you can come with me, babe. please, i don’t wanna imagine ya out there on the streets. that’s no place for anybody, let alone you.” He sounded distraught, and you feel yourself giving in. Even if it was a trap, what good did it do you to continue on out here, where there was no guarantee of your survival either?

“D-Do you really mean it? All you sai-aid about b-being safe and happy? warm?” Your chest is tight, but there’s that pulling sensation again and you stop trying to resist it. You sit down on the floor with your backpack and hold it while you look into those eyes.

“every word, sweetheart,” his deep voice purrs, lights twitching as he looks into your eyes. “but i have ta warn ya. once you come down here, i can’t bring ya back. it’s a one way trip, but i swear you’ll never regret it. not if i have anything ta say about it.”

You search those red lights, and something in your soul clicks. There’s nothing for you here, but something is calling to you down there. And you already have your whole world in a bag.

“Okay, Red. I’m coming.”

“r-really?” he stammers, then laughs softly, joyfully, “stars, babe, ya don’t know how happy that makes me. okay, just crawl on in and i’ll be waitin’ for ya. trust me.”

“I’ll try,” you answer, and drag yourself and your backpack under the bed.

As soon as your foot leaves the light of your bedroom, you feel your chest pulled hard and you fall. Falling down, into the deepest darkness you’ve ever experienced.

You scream, from fear and as a way to ask for help. There’s no way you’re surviving a fall this long, you just know it.

But then you slow and drop softly into a pair of large boney hands. Not boney as in thin, boney as in made of nothing but bones. You yelp, but then you hear that gravelly, dark voice you’ve come to know, “easy, doll, i gotcha. you’re safe now.”

You look up as the hands bring you close to his body, finally seeing Red face to face. He’s a massive skeleton, and now you know why he calls you ‘doll’ so much. That’s what size you are, compared to him. You’re a doll, and now he’s cradling you gently against his chest as if you were his favorite one.

“heh, surprised? yeah, well…i kinda didn’t wanna say it out loud in case it put ya off. but, uh…at least neither one of us is gonna be bonely, anymore, right?” He grins at his own pun, showing sharp teeth, one of which is made of gold.

“Wh-where am I?” You ask in a whisper, unable to tear your eyes away from his face, specifically those forever deep sockets with red lights for pupils.

Red chuckles, you feel it vibrating his ribs under the shirt you’re pressed to, “this is the underground, babe. it’s a long way off from your world, but it’s home. geeze but it’s good to finally have ya here.”

The way he’s holding you shifts and you hold tight to his thumb as he lifts you to sit on his shoulder instead. Once you’re settled, he asks, “so, how’s it feel to find out your soulmate is a skeleton, huh?”

You’re confused.

“oh right…humans don’t know how to read souls.” He sighs, a slight red glow coming to his cheekbones. “so monsters know a lot about souls. some people can read them well enough to see soulmate bonds. i’m one’a them, but i don’t plan on bein’ a matchmaker. i just read mine and my bro’s to check things out. His soulmate’s around, but he’s taking the slow approach. I don’t blame him. But…”

You feel that tugging in your chest again and notice his eye lights flash, “babe, when i saw my string goin’ up in the sky, i was bummed. usually, that means your soulmate’s already dead. but mine was movin’ while everybody else with one like that, theirs stays still. which is how i found the portal.”

The warmth in your face is undeniable at this point, but you ask, “Portal to where?”

“to under your bed, sweetheart,” He chuckles and starts walking somewhere. “soul connections are strong things, so i was able to hone in on your soul and use my magic to teleport. The world difference is weird, so i could only get you out if it went one way, with consent of course. wasn’t gonna just snatch ya. that wouldn’ta gone over well.”

You appreciate him taking your wishes into account but…”I’m not sure I really, um, understand?”

His burning lights glance at you, “babe, i know it’s hard ta learn all this magic stuff right off the bat. we’re gonna do this right, don’t you worry. i wont’ do nothin’ ya don’t want me to, and i’m gonna do all that mushy shit ta prove i’m serious. i’m gonna love you right, like you deserve.”

Your whole body feels warm and a goofy, uncertain smile is on your face.

At least until the metaphorical bear in your stomach roars. You hadn’t been able to eat dinner before you left, after all…and you’d skipped lunch today.

Red laughs softly, “okay, that was cute. let’s getcha some food, doll.” You just nod, embarrassed but grateful.  
He lets you watch him as he gets the food ready. It’s some sort of soup, you think, but it smells slightly sweet.

He sets you on the table and puts two spoons in the bowl. Seems you’re sharing with him but…you don’t mind. “this here is water sausage soup. kinda spicy, kinda chewy, but i like’em. hope you will, too, ‘specially since i made this myself.”

You’re surprised, “You cook?”

“kinda had ta learn,” he chuckles before taking a spoonful for himself. “grew up on our own, me’n my bro, so one of us had ta. an’ since i’m tha older one…yeah.”

Nodding, you take your spoon like a bowl of your own and sip the broth. Red was right in that it’s spicy but not overwhelming, and whatever is in it makes you feel hopeful and satisfied. You also get some bits of a kind of vegetation, and the chewy…sausage? It’s all rather good, much better than one dollar ramen.

The two of you eat in companionable silence, but Red is smirking softly as you obviously enjoy his cooking. Every so often his large fingers stroke softly down your back, and though you still doubt him, the gesture is calming. It makes your soul thrum despite your caution.

When the bowl is empty, he stands and puts it away, “not that i like ta clean, but my bro, he’s a neat freak at the best of times. you good, sweet thing?”

“Yeah. That was good and….I feel a little better,” you admit, and he lays his hand out for you to climb aboard.

“should do. monster food is made with magic, just like we are. any damage to your body or soul can be healed with enough magic and time, even for humans,” His eye lights are hazy at the edges as he looks at you, and his voice soft.

You wonder now whether the magic healed your body or your soul, but you don’t ask.

“anyway, it’s late. let’s head ta bed. don’t have a place for you just yet, so i hope ya don’t mind sharin’ with me for t’night,” He’s headed up the stairs, and you smile as you get a good view of the living area. It’s small, a couch, an end table, a larger table, and a television bundled together in the rectangular room.

Red notices your look, “like what ya see, doll? between my earnin’s and bro’s salary, we get by pretty well. haven’t wanted for nothin’ for a good few years now.”

His voice holds the relief of someone who’s found plenty after famine. You realize his promises of warmth and food came from a place of knowing their lack. It pulls at your soul.

Red passes a door and heads into the second room on the landing. The room is a mess, but you notice it’s only covered in socks. There is some trash here and there, but it mainly seems to be bags of “chisps” and empty mustard bottles. Red takes a careful seat on the floor-bound mattress and sighs. Then, gently, he scoops you into his hand and sets you on the pillow.

“This is your room?” You ask looking around. There’s a…tornado. Of trash. And socks. in the corner.

“heh, yeah. i told ya i hate cleanin’.” Red doesn’t even bother undressing, simply laying down and setting his head on the pillow as far from you as possible. “you’re gonna find out i’m kinda dirty for the most part. not gonna hide it, but i hope ya don’t hold it against me.”

You smile a bit, and decide it best to relax as well. The room is dark but you realize a glow coming from the area beside the lone desk(?) in the room. A small light, just a bulb on a plug, is shining dimly, but enough to soothe you. You look to Red and see him already asleep, a strange boney eyelid closing his sockets.

Sleep is hard to find, but you manage it after a few long moments of staring at Red’s chest slowly rising and falling as he snored.


	2. Coming together

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Now that you're down here, what's next?

The Underground is a rough place, but you feel more secure since you’re usually hidden in a pocket of Red’s jacket. He took you with him everywhere, on errands, to work (at all three jobs no less) and even on special outings just for the two of you.

Though you hear him be rough and confrontational with several others, he never once says a word or lays a hand on you that isn’t gentle and tender. Those red eyes that are so clear and sharp when watching for possible threats at his sentry station, go fuzzy and warm as soon as he spots you looking. You’re finding it harder and harder to resist smiling up at him, and your pulse races unbidden when he touches you. He loves you, that much is clear from his words and actions. And you are fighting tooth and nail to not fall for him. You just…can’t.

It’s not him. It’s not that he’s a skeleton, or a giant, or any of that. You’re more than fine with that. You find it fascinating and want to know everything you can. No, it’s….if you open yourself up, even to him, you’re going to be hurt. There’s no point in taking down the walls around your heart.

You do have someone else to deal with when you and your skeletal soulmate return home. Edge, Red’s younger brother, is a tall, imposing figure with a harsh voice and naturally irritated expression. Red introduced you to him the morning after you arrived.

“bro, i, uh, i got somethin’ ta show ya,” Red stated as he cupped you against his sternum, the soft scent of chalk and a warm spice surrounding you as he covered you with his jacket.

“IT HAD BETTER BE SOMETHING SUITABLE, SANS, AND NOT SOME PLASTIC VOMIT LIKE LAST TIME,” came the scratchy reply.

“it’s not. um, bro, i know ya can’t see it but…my string came down last night,” Red’s voice is hopeful, but scared, and you feel something warm pulsing beneath his bones in the same way your anxious heart does beneath yours. And then he lets his jacket fall open, revealing you to the tall skeleton in front of you.

“YOUR….” The sockets you meet go wide and a soft blush flits over his cheekbones for a moment, “BROTHER, IS THIS YOUR HUMAN?”

“y-yeah, boss. er, bro.” You don’t dare look away from Red’s brother.

He stands straight and clears his throat, then announces with his hand on his black-armored chest, “HUMAN, I AM EDGE, CAPTAIN OF THE ROYAL GUARD AND IRON FIST OF SNOWDIN TOWN. YOU WOULD NORMALLY BE SUBJECTED TO GRUELING PUZZLES BEFORE FACING ME IN BATTLE.” You shudder, and his browbones knit in concern as his voice softens, “But, you are the long awaited soulmate of my only kin, human. My brother, lazy as he is, deserves the happiness I know your presence brings to him. So you, too, are now my kin, human, and I swear my life to protecting you as such.”

There is no hesitation, and Edge kneels, hand over where a heart would be, “Welcome home, sister.”

In awe, you glance back and Red, only to find him shaking and tears leaking from his sockets, “i….i’m okay, doll. i just…i dunno how ta thank you, bro.”

“DON’T!” Edge jumps up brushing off his knee, “I AM ONLY DOING WHAT I AM HONORBOUND TO DO AS YOUR BROTHER AND AS A CAPTAIN. I HAVE YET TO DECIDE IF THIS IS A GRUDGING VOW OR A GLAD ONE. I HAVE TO LEARN ABOUT YOUR SMALL DARLING.”

A voice like his could freeze a mountain, but there is warmth and teasing under the harshness, and you smile. A brother….you’ve always wanted a brother.

 

Red watches his precious doll sleep. He couldn’t sleep tonight, nightmares plaguing his attempts. It had been so long since he’d been this happy. Since…well, a long time. As y/n breathes easy, he thinks. These months have been the best in his life, by far. His brother is successful and happy, his soulmate is slowly blossoming into the person he always knew she would be, and his own soul sings in joy at her closeness. But…

He winces at a pang in his chest. He can’t escape his urges for much longer. Red had read so much in the deepest reaches of the hidden lab, the last remnants of his hated ‘father’. All the accounts of before the war, when humans and monsters being soulmates was no surprise. How the small humans would be hidden and enclosed within their larger partners’ bodies in a deep bonding event. And that this act was a natural instinct for the monster, however their forms were made, to protect and cradle their human soulmate this way.

But she wasn’t ready for that. With as hard as her life had been before, Y/N still didn’t trust him that deeply, not enough to go through what all humans would see as a suicidal act. So he would wait, and control himself. He could do that for her. Red sighed and pulled her closer to his body, hoping his aching soul would be comforted by this approximation for a while longer.  
You and Red are playing board games in the living room. It’s become a weekly thing between the two of you, and you enjoy trouncing your bigger….companion, in various games. Some don’t have all the pieces but you manage to have fun with them anyway, sometimes making up rules to get around the lack of parts.

Today, it’s a little quieter since Edge is off with his lovely soulmate, a rather playful plant girl from Waterfall, and that means it’s just you and Red at home.

Red makes a move, and he lands on a bad space. “back ta start again? shit! what kinda game is this anyway?”

You giggle and roll the single die. As always, you bring your piece home and win the game. “You owe me again, skele-man.”

You’ve been with Red for almost three months now. Combined with his visits, you’ve known him a year. And you’ve never felt so comfortable with anyone else. With Edge and Red, you found the sort of ease you’d only seen on TV and in storybooks. THIS is what a family should feel like; the brothers bantering, Edge acting aloof while blushing at your compliments, trading jokes with Red at Grillby’s just to see the fire elemental turn pink in frustration….you were finally home.

Red sighs and lays on the ground, “whatever you wish, doll.”

As you approach him, you chuckle. A string of red drool is dripping from his mouth, and to tease him, you grab his shirt and wipe it off, “You’re a gross boy, Red. Are you always so drooly?”

He suddenly pokes his tongue out and licks your arm, making you squeak and scamper back, “Hey!”

“sorry, doll, couldn’t resist. i love ta see you surprised,” he turns over on his side and waggles his brow bones at you with a jaunty smirk.

You grin, coming back and bopping him gently between the sockets, “Silly skeleton.”

He laughs, but both of you freeze as a rolling growl comes from his stomach. “uh….oops.”

“Did you forget to eat?” You’re concerned now, not wanting him to suffer as you once did.

“nah, babe, i just…eh….” small beads of red magic slip down his skull. “used a bit too much magic lately. tends to happen sometimes. lemme just go fix that.”

Red’s been leaving you home sometimes when he goes out now, more secure with your safety, you assume, so you nod and watch him get up and slip away into the kitchen.

Hearing him rattle pots and pans, you decide to join him since he usually likes anything you suggest. However, you hear him muttering to himself.

“geeze, red, get a’hold of yourself. ya can’t just do that. i know it hurts, but ya gotta think with your head, not your stomach. ugh….” he grips the front of his shirt as if his heart hurt him, “mmn, yeah. push through. ya can’t just eat her. no matter how good she tasted.”

Something primal in your mind snaps and you shriek, running for the nearest hiding place you had mapped out in the early days of your residence here.

 

Hearing the scream, Red turns and feels his lights go out as he sees you run away. “doll? oh…oh no, shit! dust me i’m so stupid!”

He dashes after you but you’re gone. “y/n? babe? shoot, c’mon, i didn’t…ya gotta understand….shit, i dunno how to explain this.”

Looking around he knows he could use his soul sight to find you but that seems like a bad idea. So he just spoke as he looked, “i know….geeze, i know it sounds bad. especially since i was literally the monster under your bed. but…mmngh, babe, i’m literally aching for you.”

The house was quiet as the grave and it disturbed Red even as his soul squeezed painfully. “ack….mn….my soul is just follwin’ nature. before the war, the one that got us all stuck down here…” He looked around his room and kept talking, just feeling drawn here, “monsters an’ humans were soulmates all th’ time. an you guys were so small…guess it wasn’t the barrier doin’ that. we just…monsters’re suppos’ta be made of compassion and mercy or some shit an’ back then…oh stars this hurts!”

He slides down next to his desk, looking at the little light in the outlet, “back then we were. and it made us want ta protect all you little guys, especially if you were our soulmates…like you are. stars, doll, this is literally my soul tryin’ ta getcha close and protect ya as best i can.”

There’s a soft sobbing coming from a drawer in his desk. Oh. “babe, if you knew how long i’d felt your pain….every stinkin’ time those assholes locked ya in the closet…but ya don’t know, and me sayin’ it now isn’t helpin’.” Red sighs, leaning against the desk. “i’ll leave ya be….but i love ya, doll, with all my soul.”

He resigns himself to stay beside the desk for a long while.

 

You’re shaking in the drawer. You want to trust him, your very soul pushing you to the side of the desk where he’s leaning, but you just….your mind will not allow it. He wants to EAT you, it screams, that will KILL you and that’s all he’s wanted from the start.

But it’s not. He’s had all this time, so many nights of you sleeping right beside him, in his arms, to do any number of horrors to you. But no harm had come to you, and instead you’d been soothed, cherished, and protected. Every promise he’d ever made you fulfilled twice over, and a family of your own at last.

You shake as you hear his labored breathing, feeling your soul tugging at you in response. The tears you’d been holding back fall, and you scramble to the front of the drawer…but you can’t push it out very far. So you sob and curl up there, “R-Red, I’m…sorry. I’m sorry I’m so stu-upid and scared and c-can’t…”

There’s a clacking, and you look up to see his boney fingers pulling the drawer open and scooping you out. You can’t help the scream of fear, even as you cry, regretting it.

You can barely make out his eye lights, but they’re very dim and hazy, and his expression is twisted with pain. “babe….”

“I’m sorry!” You call, clinging to his hands, “I’m….I’m afraid of the dark and the closeness and….and it hurts me to be scared of you.”

He hugs you, “i know. i’m sorry..hng” You cling to his shirt as he flinches. “but i’m just asking for trust. that’s all.”

It’s like asking for a mountain. But his pain, and your own exhaustion with fighting your very soul, lead you to nod. You’ll go into that darkness for his sake.

And for the first time, he kisses you. Not on the cheek or head as before, but truly a lovers kiss. You are flabbergasted with the difference, and do your best to kiss back. But both of you are too undone to do this for long, and soon enough he opens his mouth and slips you inside.

You’re too big to go more than your head inside, but….you realize he’s beginning to purr. He’s happy, though you feel that same insistent tugging in your chest that signals he’s distressed still. A strong gulp sends you in up to your waist, and he makes a point to go quickly to alleviate both his pain and your time in the dizzyingly tight confines.

Both of you finally feel able to breathe again as soon as you flop down into the pit of his stomach due to gravity. It’s no longer so tight that you can’t think, and you see a soft red glow all around you. Your chest is tingling in a pleasant, minty manner, and it is slowly releasing the tension you’d been holding in your back, neck, and shoulders.

For his part, Red feels the pain in his soul evaporate as soon as you hit bottom. He groans softly in relief, leaning back on his elbow and rubbing his sternum. “babe? mmn, geeze, that feels good to get rid of. ya did good.” A small hiccup surprises him, and he feels you move in response to being shaken by it. “eheheh, sorry. you okay, though?”

You nod and find yourself feeling sleepy from all the crying and running, emotional and physical exhaustion. The soft, velvety surface around you is warm and the soft pulsing of his soul above has made your heartbeat slow to match it. You sink further into comfort as you feel his hand against your back, rubbing softly.

“you can rest easy if ya want, doll. i don’t mind bein’ laid up for a bit after that. thanks for trusting me.” You nod and snuggle in, feeling sleep steal over you without much ado.

 

You request and are granted your release the next morning, with Red’s soft touch helping you dry off with a towel you don’t know the origin of. There’s a new light in his eyes, the familair red haze so much brighter. You feel that light in your own soul, remembering the comfort of the night. A bright, soft, warm place safe from both prying eyes and all outsiders…you know you’ll need that comfort again, even in the ease of life you’ve found with Red.

He smiles at you, and you return it. Shyly, you ask, “Will we be able to do that again sometime?”

Red kisses you softly, first on the forehead, then the lips, before murmuring back, “anytime, doll.”


End file.
